emirate · Anatolia and the Levant
Dulkadirids
Origins
In 1337 the Mamluks recognised the Turkmen chief Zayn al-Din Karaja Bey as ruler of Elbistan and the surrounding uplands of the eastern Taurus, creating a vassal state on their northern frontier.
Rule and society
The Dulkadirids led pastoral Turkmen tribes, raised horses and controlled the passes between Syria and Anatolia. Both Mamluks and Ottomans tried to control them through marriage and by backing rival claimants. Shah Suwar rebelled against the Mamluks with Ottoman encouragement and was executed in Cairo in 1472. Ala al-Dawla Bozkurt, a long-reigning ruler, built in Marash and resisted the rising Safavids.
Decline and legacy
When Ala al-Dawla failed to support the Ottomans against the Safavids, Selim I's army defeated and killed him in 1515. His nephew Ali Bey ruled as an Ottoman vassal until he was executed in 1522 and the beylik was annexed.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Dulkadirids was a vassal of Mamluk Sultanate1337 CE – 1515 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Dulkadirids. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dulkadirids
- MLA
- “Dulkadirids.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dulkadirids. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Dulkadirids.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dulkadirids.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Dulkadirids’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dulkadirids (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻